PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition last night hosted the last in its series of free workshops for potential competitors. “Your job is to excite, not educate,” George Simmons, a partner in Derby Management, told those attending his session on How to Present Your Business Plan.
“Tell a clear, easy-to-repeat story in the first 90 seconds,” he said. His workshop included tips for what information to include, in what format, in a PowerPoint presentation; reminded presenters to speak to their audience, not just read their slides; and stressed both the importance and the difficulty of brevity.
His own 17-slide PowerPoint presentation is available on the competition Web site under Resources, then Business Plan. Other free resources at www.RI-BizPlan.com include a guide to developing financial projections, dos and don’ts of writing a business plan, tips on protecting intellectual property and presentations by past winners.
This year, for the first time, the contest includes prizes for all college-student and entrepreneur finalists, plus a prize for the top entry from a student at an Ocean State high school.
Applications to the contest must be completed online by 5 p.m. on April 7. Judges will then select six semifinalist teams in each track – college student and entrepreneur – who will have until April 22 to submit full business plans.
Three finalists in each track will make presentations before the judges on May 5. The finalists, plus the high school winner, also will make abbreviated presentations the next day at the Brown Forum for Enterprise Business Expo 2008, in the R.I. Convention Center, where the winners will be announced.
Additional information on the 2008 Rhode Island Business Plan Competition – including contest rules and guidelines, application procedures, business-planning resources, and the application itself – is available at www.ri-bizplan.com.
